During installation, a frame is made with steel or profiled aluminum frames. You can also use wood, but this material is short-lived. The fastening of the panel is carried out with the help of self-tapping screws or screw connections.
Direction
Orientation is carried out with the help of devices, that bear in mind that hemisphere irradiated direction. The solar battery should be placed perpendicular to the south side at an angle to the horizon, which is installed for operation for the whole year, or changed with the change of seasons.
Effect of temperature and snow
The photovoltaic converter reacts to the increase in temperature by reducing the output power, the solar modules heat up.
Free space for air and heat circulation must be provided during installation. This is very relevant for flat surfaces.
You can conveniently fix solar batteries on a flat roof in a southern direction or simply on an open site.
For this, a metal frame is welded, which has the shape of a triangular horizontal prism, which is raised above the surface to a height that exceeds possible snow drifts. This is a passive protection against snow. The resulting frame is attached to the power elements in the building structure, in which the solar modules are installed.
In some cases, a good result can be achieved by lowering the frame mount lower than the slope in the roof. As a result, good air exchange is created.
It is necessary to choose a horizontal orientation of the panel because, with a vertical one, the temperature difference between the cells of the upper and lower sides increases.
Reflected light
Solar panels receive light from different sides, including the back surface (reflected light). Due to the conversion of this light by the back side of the battery, the power is increased by 40-50%.
The influence of the season
The worst conditions for the operation of a solar cell are in the fall: daylight hours are shortened, gloomy weather interferes with the solar flow, and the dark earth’s surface absorbs and does not reflect light.
With the arrival of winter, the diffuse lighting of the snow cover increases. An open snow field creates up to eighty percent of reflected light.
There are two installation methods:
- reroofing
- or replacing part of it with photocells.
There is an opinion that such a design is rather cumbersome, but it is not so. Batteries that look like tiles are often used.
They cost twice as much as ordinary batteries and have higher efficiency. The photocell is built into the form and mounted on the roof.
The advantages are saving money and the fact that the appearance of the roof does not change.
Picture Credit: VistaCreate